The Bare Flame
by H.I. Fanfiction
Summary: Reid has to get to know this enchanting woman who comes into the cafe and reignites his heart's bare flame.  Reid/OC.  "Word War Wednesday" Entry.


**Author's Notes: Hello! Here's a new oneshot from me! :)**

**This story came into the sunshine, thanks to "Word War Wednesdays" and the great ladies of the group (you all know who you are... love ya!)**

**I hope you like this story, and maybe, just maybe... it could become an epic... if you like it, that is... ;)**

**Happy reading & enjoY!**  
><strong>Hugs abound...<strong>  
><strong>- E. :))<strong>

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><p><em><strong>The Bare Flame<strong>_

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><p>Enchanting.<p>

It was the only word Spencer could think of to describe her.

She was enchanting…

Every time she would come into the coffee shop, his heart would skip a beat. She would order her favorite combination (a grande, 170-degree, soy, sugar-free caramel macchiato caldron), and while it was being prepared, she would come over and sit down near him, giving him a soft grin. Her soft, cropped, dark brown hair dancing on her neck like a ballerina en pointe. No conversation between them would occur, just quick glances and smiles.

One stormy afternoon, that all changed…

Glancing at his watch, Spencer noticed that it was almost time for her to arrive.

Right on cue, she walked into the shop, but this time, she had someone with her… a little someone, to be exact… who must have been around the age of 3. The little girl was wearing a purple and pink polka-dotted raincoat over her clothes, only revealing her pink and gray-striped nylons and gray dress shoes. She looks like a mini-version of her, which made him smile. Ordering her normal beverage of choice and a small hot cocoa for the little one, they walked over to her normal spot across from him. She gave him a wink and a smile like always, before turning her attention back to the little girl prancing around nearby.

"When we goin' to da balway?" The little girl asked her mother softly.

"Soon, Sara…" The woman answered back. "But, first, we need to warm ourselves up for the trip there…"

"We go on da twain, Mommy?"

"Yep, we are going on the underground that runs around Washington, D.C…."

"Do you get scawed on da twain?"

"I used to, honey, when I was little, but now that I'm a mommy, and I'm a big girl, and I'm so brave, I don't get scared by it anymore…"

"I be a big gurl, Mommy… an' I be bwave too…"

"Well, good… then, I don't think I'll have to worry about you getting scared then at all…"

"Otay…"

Spencer listened to the entire conversation and smiled as he skimmed his book. The little girl was adorable and her mother was equally, if not more beautiful than even the world-famous Venus de Milo. The three-year-old noticed him looking at her and smiled back with a small wave. The young doctor smiled and waved back with his very long and skinny index finger, causing her to giggle loudly.

As the older woman went to get their warm drinks, she was told to stay put in her spot on the chair and don't talk to strangers. But, being a naturally curious child about everything & everyone, Sara didn't listen. She raced around the small coffee table between them and sat on the little edge in front of Spencer, giving him a gap-toothed grin.

"Hi…" She said aloud, getting his full attention. "Wat you name?"

"My name's Spencer…" He replied back, bending his body down to her level. "What's your name?"

"Sahwa Whizabet Mahwe…"

"Sara Elisabeth Maree, eh? Well, that's a beautiful name… it's very nice to meet you…"

"Nite ta meet you, 'Pensah…"

They continued to talk about everything, until a voice rattled her back to reality: "Sara Elisabeth Maree!"

Looking up, both saw the girl's mother standing before them, drinks in hand. She set the two cups down on the little table, before coming over to them to see what was going on.

"Sara…" She stated again aloud, crouching down to see her daughter eye-to-eye. "You were supposed to stay put and not talk to strangers… you need to listen to me please!"

"I sahwee, Mommy…" The young girl replied, face instantly turning sad. "But, 'Pencah looks nice… he's a smart man… he's u age, too…"

"Honey, he may look nice and be smart, but we don't know him…"

"I know him…"

"Sara…"

Spencer couldn't let the little girl get in trouble, so he made a decision, "Ummm… sorry to interrupt, ma'am, but I did say 'hi' to her first…"

"So, you like talking to children, huh?" She wondered back. "Preying on them like a stalker? Are you some kind of sick pervert, who gets his jollies from messing with the impressionable youth of the Virginia Commonwealth? Well… are you?"

The young genius stood there in shock, before a smile creeps across her face.

"Show me your badge, tiger…" She piped up, giving him another smile. "I know your game…"

"'My game'?" He openly questioned with a nervous squeak, as he pulled out his F.B.I. credentials.

Showing them to her, he saw her face change immediately from one of happy amusement to one of loss, like when one would lose a card or board game.

"Damn him…" She muttered under her breath. "Damn him!"

He didn't understand… why was she so mad? Who was she so mad at?

"He put you up to this, didn't he?" She questioned him as she crossed her arms in front of her.

She's defensive now. Reid needed to say something to calm her down… and quickly before he lost her forever… if he could even win her now…

"Who?" Spencer asked back in confusion. "Who would put me up to what?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Dr. Supervisory Special Agent Reid… you have an eidetic memory… you don't forget things, especially if 'he' put up to this scheme. This sudden befriending me… this getting so close to me… this spying on me and Sara… this is the action of a stalker… are you a stalker, Dr. Reid?"

"Wait… how do you know I have eidetic memory?"

"Don't change the subject, Dr. Reid…"

"Miss, I'm sorry, but –"

"It's 'Ms'… Ms. Berlioz… what? He didn't tell you my name?"

"No! I wasn't told any names by anyone anywhere and at anytime… I'm not stalking you or spying on you and Sara… that would just be wrong… and a total violation of your privacy..." He rambled on nervously. "Nor am I in cahoots with anyone to get at you for any way, shape or form. I would never do anything deceitful… no matter what… to you or Sara… and I'd only ask about you to others to see if you'd like to have coffee and a piece of cheesecake with me some night sometime in the future… which you probably are going to say 'no' to now, because you think I'm weird now…"

"I don't think you're weird…" She said suddenly, slowly letting a soft smile creep across her face.

"What?"

"I… don't think… you're weird…"

"Really? Because all of that, I would seem very insane to most people…"

"Oh no, not at all… I'm a deranged lunatic after the way I act to you…"

"You're not a deranged lunatic… I've seen them before, and they aren't as beautiful as you are, Ms. Berlioz…"

"Sofia…"

"Huh? What?"

"My name… its Sofia… 'Sophie' for short… I thought that since I know yours, I thought you should at least know mine…"

"An' I's Sahwa…" A little voice piped up, face full of whipped cream from her now-cooled hot cocoa.

Both adults looked over at her and chuckled… she did look pretty darn cute…

"Can we start over?" The woman questioned aloud to Reid.

"Ummm… ummm… did we even start anything?" The boy genius stammered back nervously.

"No, I guess we didn't…"

She took a deep breath and rubbed her palms on her jeans, before extending her hand to him, stating, "Sofia Alessandra Berlioz..."

"Spencer Gareth William Reid…"

"Nice to meet you… again…"

"Nice to meet you too… again…"

"I should get back to Sara, before she spills her cocoa down the front of herself…"

"Yeah, it would be horrible to have that happened before the ballet… she seems really excited about it…"

"I had a feeling she would be… she loves to dance…"

"Is she taking classes? I have a friend that could look into a class or classes for her… if you want…"

"I might have to take you up on that…"

Looking at the time on her watch, Sophie sighed and smiled at Spencer again.

"You have to leave, don't you?" He asked her softly.

"Yeah, we have to get going to meet the Metro…" She replied, sighing again.

"Which station did you take to get here?"

"U Street… why?"

"You had to switch colors…"

"Colors? I assume you mean rail lines, right?"

"Yeah… so, assuming if you came from Union Station, you most likely and probably took the Red Line, got off at the Chinatown station, and then, you probably took the Yellow Line to U Street, right?"

"Yeah… yeah, I did…"

"Want some advice on how to get where you're going?"

"Sure, I'll take every bit I can get… I've been sort of winging it, since I got on the train in Quantico…"

"Since Quantico? You live in Quantico?"

"I'm kinda in transit really… Sara & I just moved here last Tuesday…"

"Last Tuesday? As in 10 days ago?"

"Yep..."

"You've only been here since Tuesday, and you haven't experimented more?"

"Can't really do that with a rambunctious three-year-old… I'm lucky to get time to myself to come and get a coffee..."

They slowly walked over to the little girl, who was busily sucking down her cocoa through one of the two pink straws in the cup, whipped cream evidence still on her nose.

"Sara…" She stated softly. "Time to go, sweetie…"

"You dwink you cokey, too, Mommy?" The little girl questioned, before wiping her face with her rain-coat covered sleeve.

"I'll take it with and drink it on the Metro, sweetie…"

"Otay…"

"Can you tell Spencer 'bye'?"

"Bye, 'Pensah…"

"Bye, Sara…" The boy genius answered back with a smile. "Have fun at the ballet…"

"You come too?"

"No, kiddo… I can't come with you… maybe next time, okay?"

"Otay…"

"Is there a 'maybe next time' for us, too, Ms. Berlioz?"

"You never know, Dr. Reid… you never know… it was nice meeting you…"

"The pleasure was all mine…"

"I'm sure it was, Spencer, and I'm sure it wasn't… you need to learn how to share…"

"How to share what?"

"Pleasure… goodbye…"

And, with that, the most enchanting woman and the more adorable little girl walked out of the coffee shop and out of his life.

Could he have gotten for her phone number? Could he have shown her which lines to take? Could he have offered to take her to her destination?

With all of the coulda-woulda-shoulda's questions rushed through his brain, he missed the most obvious way to get all he needed to know about it, among other things.

Pulling out his cell phone, he pressed a speed-dial number and waited for the person on the other end to answer.

"You have reached the Mistress of the Holy Technical Universe… speak & you will be heard…" The familiar voice stated aloud.

"Garcia, hey! its Reid…" He responded back. "I need your help with something, if you aren't too busy…"

**_Fin._**

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><p><em>AN: I decided to leave it as a oneshot for now. I have a bunch of other epics to finish, and if you, the adoring public, want me to make it an epic, I will... just for you, guys... ;) _

_Let me know what you think!_

_::hugs::_

:))


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